Wire holding apparatus



P 1941- R. c. PIERCE 2,257,645

WIRE HOLDING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 27, 1938 IN VENT OR. ROBERT C HE/5T5 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 30, 1941 I WIRE HOLDING APPARATUS Robert 0. Pierce, Niles, Micla, anignor to National Standard Co mpany, Niles, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application October 27, 1938, Serial No. 237,202

BClaims.

This invention relates to wire treating apparatus and more particularly to an arrangement for preventing wire from unwinding from a capstan or haul oi! wheel in a wire drawing machine or the like.

Ina wire treating apparatus in which wire is drawn or pulled through the machine by a rotating wheel about which the wire is wound, there is a tendency for the wire to unwind in the event of breakage or slack in the wire from any other cause. This is apt to cause snarling or tangling of the wire and makes rethreading oi the machine a very diillcult task. It is accordingly one oi the objects of the invention to provide wire treating apparatus in which unwinding of the wire from the wheel is prevented.

Another object of the invention is to provide wir treating apparatus having means to prevent unwinding of the wire in which the means may be moved to either operative or inoperative position. This facilitates winding the wire around the wheel and enables the unwinding preventer to be used or not as desired at ditl'erent times.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a partial side elevation a wire treating apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the unwinding preventer 01 Figure 1; and

Figures 3 and 4 are views corresponding respectively to Figures 1 and 2 of a modified construction.

In wire treating apparatus such, for example as a wire drawing machine 01' the type more particularly disclosed and claimed in my copending application .Serial No..68,856 filed March 14, 1936, 01! which this application is a continuation in part, wire is drawn through the machine by one or more rotating capstans or haul oif wheels around which the wire is wrapped several times. 11' the wire breaks or becomes slack for any other reason it tends to unwind and the present invention provides a roller pressing the wire against the wheel to prevent it from unwinding.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 the apparatus comprises a haul oil wheel or capstan Ill around which the wire is wrapped and which may be driven by any suitabl source of power. not shown. A fixed bracket I2 is mounted adjacent the periphery of the wheel and pivotally supports a bellcrank lever ll carrying at one end a roller I which preferably has a soft surface such as rubsecured to one end of a tension spring it anchored at its other end to an extension 20 of the bracket l2 and so arranged that as the bell crank lever is swung the spring will cross its pivotal 'axis. This forms a tog le type linkag as will be move the roller away from the wheel and as the.

spring it crosses the pivotal axis or the lever ll it will swing the lever counterclockwise to hold the roller out of engagement with the wheel. If desired a. stop 22 may be provided on the bracket I! to limit counterclockwis movement of the lever I4.

In the embodiment 01 Figures 3 and 4 the wheel is indicated at 30 and the roller at 32. The roller is carried by a lever 34 pivoted at 36 and a bell-crank lever 38 also pivoted at ll terminates at one end in a horizontalpedal portion III and has its other end resiliently connected through a rod 42 and spring 44 to the-lever 34.

The parts will normally fall by gravity to a position with the roller out of contact with the wheel and in order to hold it in operative position a second pedal 48 is provided pivoted at 48 and having a portion 50 engageable with the pedal M. A spring I! normally urges the pedal 46 to a position to latch the pedal down at which time the roller 32 is resiliently pressed against the wheel 30.

To release the roller the operator may press the pedal 46 laterally to move it out of register with the pedal 40 so that the roller will drop away from the wheel. To relatch the roller the operator need only to press the pedal 40 down so that pedal 48 may move over into register with it under the influence of spring 52.

While two embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail it will be apparent that many changes .might be made therein and it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the exact form shown nor otherwise than by the terms oi the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Wire holding apparatus comprising a hauloii wheel about which the wire is wrapped, a roller pressing the wire against said wheel, a lever carrying said roller and a spring connected to the lever and arranged to swing past its tulber or the like. The other arm or the lever I4 is crum as the roller is moved toward or from said wheel, and yieldingly holding the roller against or away from the wheel according to the position of the lever.

2. Wire holding apparatus comprising a haul oil wheel about which several turnseot wire are wrapped, a roller having a relatively soft surface pressing all of the turns of wire against the wheel to prevent it from unwrapp a pivotaliy mounted lever on which the roller is mounted and movable toward and away from the wheel to move the roller into or out of engagement with the wheel and resilient means for pressing the roller against the wheel, said resilient means having a part movable manually to two positions, in one of which the resilient means presses the roller yieldingly against the wheel and in the other of which the tension of the resilient means urging the roller against the wheel is released and the roller is held spaced away from the wheel.

3. Wire holding apparatus comprising a haul ofi wheel about which the wire is wrapped, a roller having a relatively soft surface pressing the wire against the wheel to prevent it from unwrapping, a toggle linkage on which the roller.

is mounted, and a spring connected to the toggle linkage to urge the roller against the wheel in one position and to urge the roller away from the wheel in another position.

4. Wire holding apparatus comprising a haul oi! wheel about which several turns of wire is wrapped, a pivotally mounted lever, a roller mounted on said lever, and a releasable latch for holding the lever in a position to press the roller against the wheel to engage all of the turns of wire, said lever when the latch is released moving to a position to disengage the roller from the wheel.

5. Wire holding apparatus comprising a haul oil? wheel about which the wire is wrapped, a

pivotally mounted lever, a roller mounted on said lever, a pivotally mounted pedal resiliently connected to the lever, and means for latching the pedal in a position to press the roller against the wheel.

6. Wire holding apparatus comprising a haul oif wheel about which the wire is wrapped, a pivotally mounted lever, a roller mounted on said lever, a Divotally mountedfirst pedal resiliently connected to the lever, and a second pedal pivotally mounted adjacent the first pedal and engageable therewith to latch the first pedal in a position to press the roller against the wheel.

ROBERT C. PIERCE. 

